This week the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee held a hearing looking at the EPA and Army Corps of Engineer’s WOTUS rule. National Cattlemen Beef Association’s Vice President of Government Affairs Colin Woodall says most of the Senators understand the issues with the rule however the federal agencies don’t understand how problematic it is.
Woodall is encouraged that Kansas Senator Jerry Moran included a provision in the FY 2016 appropriations bill to block funding for WOTUS.
Woodall says it’ll take more court action in order to get the WOTUS rule thrown out entirely. He says the good news is that by averting a government shutdown, the appropriation measures to defund WOTUS will go forward and have a chance to be heard.
Both Woodall and Senator Moran were disturbed to hear that input from the Corps of Engineers was ignored by the EPA with this latest regulation. The Corps noted there was lack of scientific evidence with WOTUS and that it went far beyond the legal jurisdiction of the Clean Water Act.